


we were both young when i first saw you

by kazzashepard



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Meet-Cute, Ren faire knight!Mamoru, Renaissance Faires, also ren faire knight!Makoto, ish, random bored college student!Usagi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 19:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazzashepard/pseuds/kazzashepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But suddenly, a hand closes around my elbow, impossibly warm even through thick gloves. “Wait, I know you, don’t I?” Mamoru says, his face scrunching up in thought. “Where have I seen you before?”</p>
<p>I should just tell him, but I’m still a little pissed at him for knocking me over. “It was probably someone else,” I reply, pulling my arm out of his grip. </p>
<p>(or that time usagi and mamoru met at a ren faire)</p>
            </blockquote>





	we were both young when i first saw you

**Author's Note:**

> i participated in idesofnovember's UsaMamo Secret Santa on tumblr and this was my gift for brunettebangs!. Used an au prompt i got from tumblr: “i knew you in high school and i ran into you at a renaissance fair wearing full knight regalia”
> 
> so naturally i ran with it being usagi/mamoru because OF COURSE mamoru would be a role-playing ren faire knight

I really didn’t want to go to the local Renaissance faire. Not because I don’t like Ren faires, I mean, they are super fun and everything. But I was really looking forward to a Saturday in my PJs with lots of junk food and video games. I mean, my Pokemon aren’t going to catch themselves.

But Makoto’s competing in the swordplay competition and Ami wanted to cheer her on and then Rei got roped into doing silly fortune telling and Minako couldn’t not go to make fun of her. And well, if _all_ my friends are going, I’m not going to be left out.

I’m grumpy until I get there and Ami shoves a homemade apple tart at me because she knows the quickest way to my heart, bless her. Once I’ve been fed, I realize that this is a much better way to spend Saturday than at home on my couch.

I hang out near the tournament arena with Makoto, helping her get ready for the competition. She’s wearing some pretty fancy looking armor, all decked out with roses and vines. She looks adorable and totally _fierce_.

“You ready to kick some ass?” I ask her, holding her helm under my arm.

“Always,” she grins. “These losers won’t know what hit ‘em.”

“Well, they’ll know some super awesome lady knight knocked them out,” I reply. “Which is much better.” Makoto laughs.

Trumpets sound from inside the arena and that’s my cue to find a seat. At least, I think so, until Makoto grabs my arm. “Hey, can you tell Rei that it’s almost starting? She’s gonna take her break to watch.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Ami’s already staked out seats in the bleachers, so I don’t worry about that.

I stroll along toward Rei’s tent, feeling out of place without a fancy costume, just shorts and tank-top. I guess I could’ve whipped something together this morning, but I was half-asleep and uncaring.

I’m almost at Rei’s tent, breaking into a jog to reach it faster, when something solid and _metal_ hits me in the side, knocking me into the dirt.

“What the _hell_?” I turn and I’m looking up into the face of a knight.

Well, okay, not _really_. It’s a guy in a very impressive suit of armor, clearly headed for the tourney.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, his voice muffled behind the helm. “Are you hurt?”

He bends down, offering me his hand, but I brush it away, pushing myself to my feet on my own. “I’m _fine_ ,” I snap. “You could watch where you’re going though.”

The knight stiffens, then removes his helm. I gasp because holy crap I _know_ him. Mamoru Chiba. He went to my high school, a few years ahead of me, I’m pretty sure. A super nerd, valedictorian, all that jazz. And apparently, a Ren faire goer?

He’s also _gorgeous_. We had one class together and all we did was bicker, but that didn’t stop me from having a teeny tiny crush on him. Ugh.

Mamoru’s mouth twists into a frown. “I said I was sorry.”

Wait, does he not remember me? His eyes show no signs of recognition but continue to just be incredibly _blue_ and mesmerizing.

“It’s cool,” I mutter. I try not to be disappointed that I was apparently not memorable enough when we had a class together. I start back towards Rei’s tent.

But suddenly, a hand closes around my elbow, impossibly warm even through thick gloves. “Wait, I know you, don’t I?” Mamoru says, his face scrunching up in thought. “Where have I seen you before?”

I should just tell him, but I’m still a little pissed at him for knocking me over. “It was probably someone else,” I reply, pulling my arm out of his grip.

“No, I remember your face,” he says. “You’d think I would remember a pretty girl.”

I can’t help but snort. “Yeah, nice try, buddy,” I snap. “But you’ve never seen me before, okay?” A complete lie, but hey, if he’s going to try and feed me cheesy pick up lines...yeah, okay my heart is totally beating faster, but I’m not going to let him _win_.

I run over to Rei’s tent, leaving Mamoru completely bewildered behind me. _Good_. Rei’s already making her way to the tourney arena, looking at me in confusion that clearly says _why aren’t you already over there?_ Because Rei, I was too busy having a reunion with that jerk upperclassman that still makes my face flush and my limbs feel all wonky.

Ugh.

I follow Rei into the bleachers and we take our spots next to Ami and Minako. We’re sitting in the front row, right by the action, and it quickly takes my mind off Mamoru.

At least until the tourney comes down to the wire and they announce that Makoto’s next and final opponent will be none other than Mamoru himself.

They give the knights competing a few minutes to work the crowd and all of that. Makoto does a few cool spinning swings with her melee sword that really gets them going.

Then Mamoru comes out after her and pulls off his helm and I hear plenty of female squeals from the crowd. He pulls a red rose from the pouch at his side, eyeing the crowd with a calculating, but nonetheless sexy, stare.

His eyes fall on me, and I can’t help but blush again. It only deepens when he strides purposefully toward my spot on the bleachers, still holding that rose. When he’s right in front of me, he brushes the petals against his lips and then holds it out to me. “For you, my lady,” he says with a bow and a flourish of his cape.

Oh. My. God. I should be cracking up, but my heart is pounding in my ears. It’s so corny and ridiculous but my face feels like it’s on fire. I take the rose with trembling fingers, my eyes probably like saucers on my face. He bows again and then takes his place opposite Makoto for the fight.

“What was _that_?” Minako whispers to me. I just shrug as nonchalantly as I can.

I cheer extra loud for Makoto because I don’t want Mamoru to think that just because he gave me a rose that he’s somehow won me over. No freaking way.

Luckily Makoto’s in top form today and she easily bests Mamoru, knocking him on his ass in the second round. I leap out of my seat, screaming at the top of my lungs, and I swear I see Mamoru glance in my direction. Ha, take that!

Makoto is crowned the winner and then the tourney is over, just like that. We hang out just behind the bleachers and wait for Makoto to join us, reveling in her victory.

“Are we not going to talk about that other knight?” Rei says, glancing pointedly at the rose I still have clutched in my hand. “What’s-his-name?”

“Yeah, Usagi, looks like you have an _admirer_ ,” Minako teases.

“Shut up, both of you.” My cheeks heat up again though. Part of me thinks I should ditch the rose, but then again...it _is_ really nice.

Ami looks behind me, her mouth falling open a little. I turn to see what she’s gaping at, and Mamoru is striding towards us, still in full armor, though his helm is tucked under his arm. Great, so we can get a full view of his sweaty face, his thick dark hair sticking to the sides of his face. I bite my lip.

Makoto isn’t far behind him though, and so I have a few blissful moments where she’s distracting him, congratulating him on a good fight. Unfortunately, they keep walking towards us, and as they draw nearer, Mamoru calls to me, “So I see you kept my favor?” He smirks. Bastard.

“Well, it’s a pretty rose,” I say, keeping my tone light. “I’m not just going to throw it away. I’m not wasteful.”

I’m very aware of the others watching us, and I so desperately want this interaction to end. Not because I don’t want to talk to him, but I don’t want to have this verbal sparring match while trying to figure him out with my friends eyeing my every move.

“Anyway, it was nice,” I add, looping my arm through Minako’s and turning back toward the rest of the faire. “See you later!” And I practically drag Minako back toward the other stalls and amusements, leaving Mamoru, again, totally confused in my wake. I vaguely hear Ami and Rei following along behind us.

“What the hell, Usagi?” Minako hisses. “He was totally trying to hit on you and you just bailed?”

“Yeah, seriously, Usagi, what _was_ that?” Rei adds, poking my back.

“I just….” Ugh, how do I explain that I’m still annoyed (and rightfully so) that he wants to hit on me _now_ , but doesn’t seem to remember having a class with me years ago? Am I really that unmemorable?

Minako opens her mouth to say something, but I have a feeling that Rei glares at her, and the subject is dropped.

We hang around Rei’s fortune-teller’s tent for a little while longer, waiting for the crowd to die down and Rei’s replacement shift to show up. Then, we all head to get ice cream and celebrate Makoto’s victory.

And I _don’t_ think about Mamoru Chiba for the rest of the day.

 

*

 

I’m half asleep at my coffee shop shift the next day, so it takes my brain a few seconds to realize that Mamoru Chiba has walked into _my_ shop and is standing in front of my register. It’s when he clears his throat, mildly amused, that I finally realize that I should _probably say something._

“What can I get you?” I ask, pointedly _not_ acknowledging that I know who he is.

“Can we back up? Like back to yesterday?” he says instead.

I fix my register with a stare, refusing to look up at those _blue_ eyes. Ugh, screw him. “Usagi?”

Wait...I don’t remember telling him my name. And unless Makoto told him...which why would she? He didn’t remember me from before, unless…..?

I finally look up, and his head is slightly bowed, his dark fringe framing his face. “I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize you,” Mamoru says. “I mean, you’d think I would, since you made it your mission to torment me all through class.”

“Yeah, that feeling was _mutual_ ,” I snap back, but with a little less venom than before.

“I’m not great with faces...or names,” he continues, his tone apologetic. “So...I’m sorry.”

I would like to pretend to still be angry and send him on his merry way, but it’s hard when he just looks so damn _cute_ , with his stupid fluffy bangs and his sad blue eyes. He does look sorry, and I don’t really think Mamoru’s _that_ good of an actor.

“It’s okay,” I say with a smile.

We fall silent, and Mamoru shuffles a bit back and forth, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “So um...I was wondering when your shift was over?” he mumbles, his cheeks tinged pink.

“Are you asking me out?” I splutter, utterly bewildered. But then again...he did give me a rose. Which I still totally have in a vase in my room.

Mamoru sighs. “Yes, dumpling head. Would you please end my torment and go out with me?”

“Wow, what a romantic,” I tease. “Bet you get all the girls.”

He just laughs. “Yeah, not really.”

“Well...I suppose one date couldn’t really hurt, could it?” I try to inject my tone with world-weariness, but I’m grinning so much that it doesn’t really work. Mamoru grins back.

I grab a pen and scribble my number on the inside of Mamoru’s arm. “I get off work at six, okay?”

He nods and starts to head toward the door. But something occurs to me…”Hey, Mamoru?” I call.

He looks back, adorably confused. “How did you know where I worked?” I ask.

He blushes again. “Makoto told me. We were hanging out a bit after the tourney...and well, she picked up on my desperation.”

I laugh. Good ol’ matchmaking Makoto. “I’ll give her hell for it later,” I say, still laughing. And only if the date goes badly.

With the way that Mamoru’s face is _still_ the color of a tomato, I don’t think it will go badly at all.

 

END


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